A Trick of The Light : Mirage and Shadow
by haylee70
Summary: Banks have been being robbed across the nation. But when Gotham is hit, Batman starts to investigate. But who are the thieves? And what are they up to? Two new characters, created just for the story. Rated T, just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**_I do not own any of the Batman the Brave and the Bold Characters. Please don't sue me. It would make me sad. :(_**

Chapter I

The bat mobile roared through the streets of Gotham, swerving around traffic and pedestrians. Only moments before, Bruce Wayne had received word of a robbery at the First National Bank of Gotham. He wasted no time. In the past month, banks had been hit all over; from Star City, to Metropolis, to Blüdhaven, to everywhere in between. Now, it was personal.

Batman pulled up to the curb, and jumped out in front of the bank. The police had already arrived, but (though he would never show it) he was surprised to see that many other heroes had showed up as well. He saw Plastic man arguing with Elongated man, Red Tornado just arriving, the Outsiders, Black Lightning, Katana, and Metamorpho, talking with the Blue Beetle, who was gawking at Robin (or Nightwing as he now preferred), and Speedy. The arrow mobile was parked nearby.

"Batman!" exclaimed the Blue Beetle.

"Took you long enough to show up Bats." Joked Green Arrow, walking over from talking to some police officers.

"Why are you all here? Surely it won't take all of us to take down whoever did this." Batman asked as the heroes gathered round.

"Oh, too late for that." Shouted the Flash, having run up from inside the bank.

"They're long gone."

"So there's more than one."

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the world's greatest detective!" mocked Robin.

"Of course, though Arrow could probably tell you more, isn't that right?" he snickered.

"Shut up Robin." Green Arrow muttered.

"Nightwing." Robin, or rather Nightwing, interrupted.

"Enough! Explain what happened. Stopping these thieves is more important than this argument." Batman declared.

"Fine." Arrow said. "I had figured out that whoever did this was going to hit Gotham next, it being such an important city. So I watched the building for a couple days. Finally, I heard the alarm, messaged Speedy to meet me, and busted inside." he continued.

"There are two. They didn't say anything, and were wearing hoods. One was dressed in black, the other white. Sorta looked like ninja costumes. They saw me, through a smoke bomb of some kind and tried to escape through a window. I followed, but…"

"But what?"

Arrow sighed. "… They were too fast. I lost them on the roof tops. Don't know how, but they just disappeared."

"Declaration. No individual can merely disappear." Interjected Red Tornado.

"Yeah, sounds like you just screwed up Green Arrow!" laughed Plastic Man.

"Like you never have Plas?" Green arrow said annoyed. "I doubt anyone of you could have kept up with them. I mean, what's your excuse Flash? What happened to your super speed?"

"Now wait just a second-"Flash cut in.

"All of you stop!" Batman shouted over the bickering bunch of heroes. They became silent.

"We WILL find and stop these criminals. Enough arguing and use your energy to figure out anything we can about them or where they've gone."

"Well, uh, I think I know their names." Speedy said speaking up. All eyes turned on him. "Golly, ha-ha" he chuckled nervously. "I went in the bank to meet you Green Arrow, but you were gone. On the floor next to the smoke bomb, there was, well, it's a business card." He took the card out of his pocket and handed it to Batman. One side was white the other black. On the black side, as the light hit the card, the word '_Shadow'_ appeared. On the other side, holographic letters spelling the word _'Mirage'_ shimmered in the afternoon sun.

"Shadow and Mirage." Batman said out loud.

"The names of our perpetrators." Came the police chief's voice. He walked up from behind the group. "We found something else with their names on it as well."

"What is it chief?" Asked Elongated Man.

"Well… um… uh…" started the Chief.

"Told you he didn't know your name. That'll be five bucks!" said Plastic Man.

"Why is it that everyone knows _you?!?!"_

"Cut it out!" said batman. "You were saying?"

"Yes, well, it seems to be an invitation of sorts. I'll let you handle this one Batman." The chief said, handing over an envelope and walking back over to the other officers. Batman opened the letter and read it aloud.

_To: Aquaman, Aqualad, Green Arrow, Speedy, the Outsiders, Red Tornado, Plastic Man, Elongated Man, Wildcat, Flash, Blue Beetle, Robin, and of course, Batman. (Any other heroes who wish to be included may do so)_

_You are cordially invited to meet with us at 11pm tonight on the roof of the old warehouse on Hampton Street, located in Downtown Gotham City. We wish to discuss some matters which could affect the well being of Gotham, and possibly other cities as well. If you would be so kind as to join us, it would be deeply appreciated. Grazie!_

_Mirage __& __Shadow _

For a moment, no one spoke. They couldn't think of anything to say.

"It was a set up." Robin said breaking the silence. "They meant for this to happen, so that they could do this." He scowled.

"So what are we gonna do Bats?" Blue Beetle asked. "It's obviously a trap."

"Perhaps… or perhaps not." Batman muttered to himself. He then turned to the others, saying "Does anyone have plans for the night? No? Well, you do now." He turned to get into the bat mobile.

"We'll meet at 10:30 on the rooftop. Don't be late." And before anyone could respond, he sped away.

**_So.... What do you think of chapter 1? I hope you enjoyed it!_**


	2. Chapter 2

_**I do not own Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Didn't you read the last heading?**_

Chapter II

"Ugh… how much longer are we going to have to wait?" complained Plastic Man, flopping down onto the ground.

"Patience my flexible friend!" exclaimed Aquaman in a loud voice. "We shall name this adventure, the escapade of-"

"PLEASE, will you just shut up before we all end up in Arkam!" griped Wildcat. "I must admit, when you told me to expect the unexpected for tonight, I thought you would have meant a brawl or something Batman."

The heroes stood there on the roof top. It was about 2 minutes till they were to meet the mysterious bank robbers who had left a note to meet them at 11. They were on edge, expecting a trap to spring at any moment, but many were bored, hoping for some action.

"You think they'll actually show up Bats?" yawned Green Arrow.

"They'll be here." Was all he replied.

"Well they better show up soon. I want a fight, not this snore fest." Guy Gardner butted in. He had heard of what was going on, and decided that he might as well show up. The Atom was there too.

"You can always leave Guy, no one's stopping you." Chimed in Blue beetle, though for now he was Jaime Reyes, having decided to deactivate the scarab's power for now. "I'm sure the Corps could use you too, oh I don't know, clean up some of the messes you've made?"

"Watch it Bugsy." Guy said through clenched teeth. "Or you'll be the Black-and-Blue Beetle." His ring started to glow.

"Declaration. Both of you, save your energy for what is ahead." Declared Red Tornado.

"I'd listen to the oversized tin can if I were you…" A voice said through the darkness. The heroes automatically jumped to their feet. Jaime powered up, Speedy and Arrow had bows drawn, Batman had a bat-a-rang at the ready. Everyone was prepared for a fight.

"Ha-ha-ha. Well well well, aren't we a little jumpy tonight?" the voice derided. "What's the matter," a figure flipped out of the shadows and into the moonlight, quickly standing up. "Afraid of the dark?"

The figure was now in full view. He wore a black, robe like shirt and pants. His head was covered with a hood, but, though it was hard to make out, a matching black mask covered his eyes and his shaggy, dirty blonde hair stuck out from the front. Around his waist was tied a red belt, its two ends waving in the wind. In the figure's hand, he held a massive silver shurikan, which, Batman had no doubt, the person would use without a second thought if tempted.

"Shadow, I presume." Batman said coldly.

"Well done. What gave it away?" he chuckled. "And here I thought the world's greatest detective was just a nickname."

"Get on with it then, we don't have all night." Green Arrow said impatiently. "What do you want before we hall you off to jail?"

"Funny." Shadow replied sarcastically. "But like you, any of you for that matter could even catch up with me, forget fighting me." But even though he seemed confident, his empty hand moved towards his belt, where small throwing knives were hung.

Seeing his movement, Green arrow started to aim.

"Try me."

"Arrow, enough." Interrupted Batman, knowing the last thing they needed was a fight to break out. Shadow smirked.

"I never wanted to meet with you guys." Shadow leered. "In my opinion, taking you out will be much easier, and a hell of a lot more fun." He drew a knife, the blade glinting dangerously in the moonlight. "Whadda ya waiting for Greeny? Let's see who's faster." He smiled darkly.

Green Arrow took aim and let an arrow fly, and Shadow threw with deadly accuracy.

"Clang, clang." Out of the darkness, two throwing stars came, knocking the two weapons out of the air just before they hit their marks.

"Now now boys, play nice."

Out stepped a second person, a she. She was dressed like Shadow, though in white and with a golden sash around her waist. Long, dark hair fell from her hood. On her back, she carried two swords though for now she appeared quite content and capable of using throwing stars instead.

"Mirage…" whispered Robin.

"Dude… she's a chick…" muttered Blue Beetle.

"Not just a chick… a _hot_ chick." Said Aqualad, star struck.

"Aww, you ruin everything M." Shadow said disappointed. "We were just having a bit of fun." He sneered.

"You promised to behave, Shadow." Mirage calmly replied, walking between the two parties.

"Did I? Must have slipped my mind…"

She sighed, and turned towards Batman.

"Pay no attention to my partner. He just wasn't exactly thrilled with my plan to meet with you all."

"It's good to finally meet you." Batman said. "Every time we wanted to introduce ourselves, you managed to slip away." Was that a smile on her face? Or just a trick of the light?

"Then allow me to introduce myself. I am Mirage. You have already met Shadow." She said glancing at her companion. "But you and you're group hardly need an introduction, so if I may, I'll cut to the chase." She turned back. "I have a proposition for all of you."

The heroes looked at one another, confused.

"Why would you try to make a deal with us?" Green Arrow asked.

"Because, Green Arrow is it? This will help both of us. Shadow and I happen to know of a gathering of villains that is to occur. They are planning the downfall of Gotham, the downfall of Batman." She paused. "If you let us work with you in peace, together we can stop this."

"But why would you help us, and why would we want your help?" Aquaman inquired.

"The joining of villains would be bad for business." Shadow interrupted. "And you want our help, 'cause without us you won't be able to find them and figure out what their planning."

"We can't exactly trust you to keep your word though." Batman pointed out.

"I told you this was a waste of time." Shadow directed to Mirage.

"What can we do to get you to trust us?" She said, ignoring him.

"I doubt anything." Green Arrow said.

"You know, I really don't like him." Added Shadow.

"Hey, you just-"

"Cut it out!" shouted Batman and Mirage in unison. It was silent, the only sound being that of the city; car horns, a siren, people talking in the streets.

"I've got it!" Shadow suddenly exclaimed. All eyes were on him. "I'll go and find the gang, and Mirage will stay with you. If we should double cross you, you arrest her. If not, you let us go free until after this is all said and done." There was a pause.

"Ha-ha-ha." Mirage laughed uneasily. "My dearest Shadow, I doubt they of all people would ever agree to-"

"We'll do it." Batman stated. Everyone looked at him.

"We will?" said a stunned Green Arrow. Everyone seemed surprised. Mirage turned towards the heroes, astonished, then back towards Shadow, furious.

"Will you excuse me and my cohort for a moment?" She said, without turning back around. Not waiting for a response, she grabbed Shadow by the sleeve and pulled him with her away from the others. The Atom broke the silence, turning to Batman.

"Are you sure about this Batman? They're criminals, why should we trust them?"

"Because we need whatever information they have, and" he paused, scanning the group. "This way we'll be able to learn more about them."

"I don't like it." Green Arrow butt in. "The plan, or them for that matter."

"But there are no other options. We'll just have to try and see what happens." Commented Black Lightning.

"Plus she's _hot._" Added Plastic Man.

"For once, I agree. She is _very_ good-looking." Mentioned Elongated Man.

"She sure is…"

"Wow…"

"I think getting to know her is a _great_ plan…"

Batman turned towards the two thieves. They were talking in hushed tones, switching back and forth between two languages.

"-but _soura (sister)" _

_"No __senza ma! Che cosa stavi pensando?!? (No buts! What were you thinking?!?)_ What if-"

"Don't worry. It will be _nessun problema__!(no problem!)"_

"No problem? I doubt that. I can't just-"

"M, don't worry. It's fine."

_"__Ma cosa succede se succede qualcosa a te? (But what if something happens to you?) __"_

"So..." thought Batman. "Our thieves speak Italian, and quite fluently." Suddenly the pair turned and walked back over to where the heroes were.

"We're in." Stated Mirage. "Shadow will search for and try to infiltrate the villains HQ, contacting us when he does. I will stay with you. Should either one of us double cross you, you may do with me what you will." One of the heroes snickered at the possible 'that's what she said' moment, and Mirage rolled her eyes under her mask.

"Until this alliance is concluded, we won't attack you, and you won't attack us. Agreed?" She held out her hand.

"Agreed." Batman said sealing the deal.

"Good, then I'm off." Shadow put in, starting to yawn. "Give me one, maybe two days, and I'll get back to you guys." He started to walk towards the edge of the roof top.

"Wait," Mirage grabbed him, and he turned to look at her. She sighed. "_Badare. (Be careful.)_" Shadow grinned.

"Since when am I ever careful?" He turned, running and jumping to the next building, then the next, and the next, till he disappeared into the night. Mirage was quiet for a moment, looking after him. Then she turned back to the heroes.

"What are you all looking at? Don't just stand there, let's go."

**_Hope you like the story. Chapter three will be ready soon! _**

**_***The other language really is Italian, the translation being right next to it. Thanks to DCfan100 for the help!_**


	3. Chapter 3

**If only I owned BTB&TB...I'd have a ton of money... but I don't; own it or the money part...**

Chapter III

"So, where to?" Mirage asked as they neared the bat mobile.

"The Batcave." Batman answered.

"You can ride with us Miss Mirage." Speedy quickly pointed out, gesturing to the arrow mobile.

"Why would she ride in that beat up old thing, when she can ride side car with me?" Robin replied, leaning up against his motorcycle.

"That tiny thing? She'd be better off walking!" Blue Beetle shouted. He opened the door to his ship. "She should ride with me, in style!"

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold up." Said Green Arrow, stopping in his tracks. "How are we gonna get her to the cave without her seeing where it is?"

"With this." Batman answered, grabbing a small spray can out of the bat mobile. "This will make you unconscious on while we travel. When we arrive at the bat cave, I'll administer the antidote, waking you."

"In that case, I'll ride with you Batman." Stated Mirage. Many of the heroes groaned, disappointed. "But only if you swear, on your honor as a hero, to not use the opportunity to remove my mask to see who I really am."

"Very well." He answered

"Good, then let's go." Mirage said, stepping into the passenger seat. "See you all when I wake up."

"Bye Mirage!" the heroes, chimed, save for Wildcat, Red Tornado, and Green Arrow who was looking quite annoyed by the entire situation. Batman climbed into the car, taking out the spray can.

"Before we go, why did you choose to ride with me?" Batman asked, opening the lid. Mirage smiled.

"Because if I have to choose between one of you guys keeping your hormones under control while I'm KO'd in their car, I'm gonna choose you. But if you get any ideas, so help me I'll-"

"You have my word." Interrupted Batman, smirking a little.

"Ok then." Mirage said a bit apprehensively. "Goodnight then."

"Whish." Went the spray as Batman sprayed Mirage. She fell to sleep in the seat.

"See you in a bit." He replied, even though he knew she couldn't hear him.

Batman pulled into the bat cave, quickly swerving to a stop. The others followed suit.

"Is she awake yet?" Robin yelled as he threw his helmet off, his voice echoing.

"Why do you care?" shouted Aqualad. "What makes you think she would pay you any attention while I'm here?"

"Let's see… I can think of plenty of reasons fish boy."

"Now, now guys, settle down." Guy said, rolling his eyes. "If she would look twice at anyone, it'd be me. I've got the looks, the moves-"

"But not the brains, and certainly not the personality." The Atom added.

"Why you-"

"Stop it. You're behaving like children." Batman declared. He held Mirage in his arms. Her hood had fallen from her face, though she still wore her mask. Her hair, which had looked dark before was an auburn color in the light of the cave. Batman laid her on a nearby medical looking table. He then took a small spray can from his utility belt, and sprayed her over the face. A clear mist covered her, and her eyelids fluttered, finally opening. She blinked, and sat up.

"Welcome back." Batman said.

"Wow, so this is the bat cave…" said a dazed Mirage. "I never thought I'd ever end up here."

"It's something, isn't it?" Elongated Man stated, walking over to the table. Plastic Man beat him to it however, stretching in front of him then offering Mirage his arm.

"Thanks." She replied, stepping down from the table.

"My pleasure!" Plastic man replied with a huge smile. Elongated Man stood behind him, glaring. "However, I don't believe we've been properly introduced; the name's Plastic Man, but you can call me Plas for short."

"Wait, is your name by any chance Edward 'the Eel' O'Brian? From Kiteman's old crew?" Mirage suddenly asked, curious.

"How did you-"

"How do you know Kiteman?" Batman asked before Edward could reveal his identity. Mirage smirked.

"I would have thought that you would have already known; all we 'super villains' know each other."

"I don't know I would call _you _a super villain." Green Arrow butted in. "After all, all you did was rob a bank, nothing fancy."

"Excuse me; I robbed five, for your information." Mirage answered, a bit offended. "And didn't I escape being captured by you and your friends?"

"haha, um… moving on!" Flash cut in. "Bats, what are we going to do till Shadow calls? It could be a while, and a thief in the bat cave doesn't sound like the best idea now that I really think about it."

"I'll wait here with her; you all are free to go as you wish. You'll be contacted if we hear anything." Turning to Mirage, Batman added "I'll set up a place for you to sleep."

"What, no tour? I was hoping for a look around." Mirage joked. "You may be a fantastic detective, but you're a pretty terrible host Batsy."

"I doubt that would go over well." Batman answered.

"Aww, come on! Please! I promise I won't break anything." she grinned.

"Batman, I'd love to show her around." Blue Beetle piped up.

"I'll go with him!" Black Lightning added.

"Me too, uhh, to make sure she doesn't try anything." Metamorpho said. Murmurs of agreement rose from the crowd of heroes.

"Very well. Nowhere near the sets of weapons or the entrances, though they are hidden, just in case." Batman reluctantly agreed, directing the last part towards Mirage, seeing a glint in her eye. "So don't get any ideas."

"What, you don't trust me Batman? That hurts." A still grinning Mirage replied.

"Um, so just follow me Mirage!" Blue Beetle said anxiously, walking closer to Mirage.

"Sure BB, let's go!" She answered cheerfully, grabbing his hand and starting to walk away. Underneath his armor, Jaime turned bright red.

"Hey Casanova, wait for us!" Robin said, obviously a bit ticked off. Mirage laughed.

"Come on guys, you're slowing me down!"

The heroes and Mirage ran deeper into the cave, Katana, Red Tornado, Green Arrow, and Wild Cat being the only ones to remain with Batman.

"I don't like this Bats. She's a criminal." Green Arrow stated. "Plus, the guys seem to like her just a bit too much."

"I wouldn't bother preaching to him about that. " Wild Cat chuckled. "How's Catwoman doing Batman?"

"They can handle themselves. And we'll keep an eye on her as well." Batman replied, a slight smirk on his face. "For now, all we can do is wait."


	4. Chapter 4

**I know it's been a while, but between finals and a ton of other stuff, I didn't have time to write. Hope you guys like the newest addition!**

**Oh, and no, I don't own Batman the Brave and the Bold. :)**

Chapter IV

"Wow." Mirage exclaimed. "This place is incredible. It's like nothing I've ever seen." She and the group of heroes continued their tour of the cave.

"Pretty cool, huh? I've always thought this place was great." Black Lightning added.

"Cool doesn't even cover it." Robin said, rolling his eyes at Black Lightning. Turning to Mirage while still walking, he boasted, "I know this place like the back of my hand, why, I probably know more about it than Bat-ahh!" He ran straight into a stone column. Everyone burst out laughing.

"Nice-haha-job-hehe-boy wonder! Bahahaha!" Aqualad said through fits of laughter. Robin merely muttered a shut up to the heroes as his face turned bright red. Finally the laughter subsided, and the group continued on their way.

"-and over there's Bat's giant computer he uses to keep tabs on Gotham." Announced Flash. The massive computer screen showed their reflections.

"What's all that over there?" Mirage asked, quickly moving on.

"That is where Batman collects items he acquires from encounters with criminals." The Atom noted. "There's everything; from one of the Joker's acid spraying flowers to some of Two Face's coins." Mirage inspected all the items, and then smiled.

"I wouldn't say _everything_." And with a flick of her wrist, a small card appeared in her hand. It was the same as the one Speedy found at the bank. Mirage placed it among the array of objects. "Here's a little something to help complete his collection."

"Why do you have those?" Blue Beetle asked. "We found one just like it at the bank."

Mirage chuckled. "Shadow and I have always had a thing for theatrics, so we decided that whenever we robbed somewhere we would leave our card, so that no other criminal could claim the crime scene as their own."

"But wouldn't you _want_ the blame to fall to someone else?" questioned a confused Elongated Man.

"Well, yes and no." Mirage stated. "You see, a crime scene is like a work of art, the perpetrator being the artist. Artists sign their work with a distinct signature so that it cannot be mistaken for anyone else's. It's the same concept with most high level criminals. Of course if you don't want to be discovered, you don't have to leave a calling card, but many big time crooks do, a perfect example being the Riddler. Understand?"

"Sorta, I guess." Blue Beetle said, still not seeing the logic behind it all.

"It's not surprising you don't fully get it. Heroes obviously have a very different way of thinking than criminals." She turned back to look over the array of object. It was quiet for a moment, until Guy broke the silence.

"So, uh… you and this Shadow fella are pretty close." Absentmindedly Mirage answered,

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, of course."

"Right. How long have you two been together?"

"I can't remember when we were ever apart."

"Wow. So you two are pretty serious then?"

"Huh, what? What do you mean?"

"Just that it sounds like you guys are serious about the whole dating thing." Mirage just stood silently for a moment, looking stunned. Then she burst out laughing.

"You can't be serious! You all think Shadow and I are - hahahaha!" She laughed even harder.

"No no no, you've got it all wrong! Shadow is my _brother_! Obviously we're close, we're family! And we hardly ever let each other out of our sight." Finally her laughter died down a little.

"Sorry, I just, well I thought that… never mind." Guy stuttered.

"ha ha – don't worry about it! Let's keep going." Smiling, she headed down another hall way. Before following, the heroes all turned towards one another.

"That settles it. I'm gonna ask her out." Robin said in a matter-of-fact sort of tone.

Aqualad did a double take. "What? You've gotta be kidding me. She's a thief and-"

"So what? Bats is always flirting with Catwoman and no one complains about _them_."

"Well, you can't ask her out. None of you can." Blue Beetle put in. They all turned to him.

"Cause I'm gonna date her."

"Not a chance."

"No way."

"Don't make me laugh."

"Ok, ok hold it." Flash interrupted. "It's gonna be like this; none of us date her, because

1) Batman will kill us

2) If he doesn't, Shadow definitely will

3) If they both fail to kill us, she's still a criminal.

"But-"

"No buts fellas. Flash is right. This is for our own good." Atom agreed. He and Flash then followed Mirage down the hallway. The remaining heroes turned once again to one another.

"Yeah… We're still gonna ask her, right?" Plastic Man asked.

"You kidding me? Of course." Guy added.

" Then may the best guy win." Grinned Speedy. They ran after the others silently, contemplating what had just occurred.

" _They have no chance."_

" _How am I gonna get a girl like that to date a guy like me?"_

" _May the best man win? I intend to."_

**Hope you like Chapter 4. The next will be up soon... hopefully.**


	5. Chapter 5

_Yes, it's been forever since the last chapter. Yes, I know I should have posted this sooner, Yes, I'm sorry. No, I don't own Batman the Brave and the Bold. _

Chapter V

"Gees, I thought I was gonna have to send out a search party." Joked Mirage as the heroes finally met back up with her. "what took you guys so long?"

The group mumbled.

"Um… Well… We…I… uh…"

"I'm so sorry we kept you waiting. I just had to explain to my friends here that while you are one of the most beautiful and enchanting woman I have ever met, I'm not surprised that you are also one of the most cunning and dangerous villainesses. " Aqualad added as suavely as he could. Then, walking up to a rather stunned Mirage, he gently grabbed her hand and kissed it. The rest of the group stared with open mouths, seething with anger and jealousy.

"Um…" Mirage laughed awkwardly. "Wow, I really, uh, don't know what to say." Then, quickly recovering, she said coolly, "Except that, well, like you said-"She drew a sword with breathtaking speed and held it to his throat "I'm dangerous." Then, with a wink she sheathed it once again, leaving Aqualad stuttering.

"Gotta be quicker than that Aqualad!" she joked.

"What the hell was that? No fighting!" Atom cut in, moving between the two.

"Relax, no harm done. I was just messing around." She said cheerfully.

"Someone could have gotten hurt." Atom argued.

"I may be a thief, but I honor my agreements." Mirage sternly countered.

"Accidents can happen."

"No." she replied, narrowing her eyes.

"I am skillful enough with a blade to not hurt someone on accident, and as you can see Aqualad is perfectly fine. I said I would not harm any of you, and I will stand by that until this business is finished." Then with a sly grin, she went on.

"And as for myself, I highly doubt any of you pose any threat to me."

"What are you talking about? All of us versus one of you? You wouldn't stand a chance!" laughed Metamorpho.

"Sure you would, just keep telling yourselves that. I certainly hope you're faster than fish boy here."

"Trust me," Flash said. "I am." And in a split second he was standing right beside her. Mirage rolled her eyes.

"Oh sure, _now_ you hurry up. "

The Flash grinned. "Waiting on you now M."

Mirage smirked and the group continued on their way. Suddenly, a loud bang filled the air, followed by a series of thuds. The sounds echoed throughout the cavern.

"What the hell is that?" Guy shouted over the noise.

"I don't know." Robin yelled back. "But I'm gonna find out." He raced down the hallway towards the sound, the others close behind. They came to a large door. Whatever was causing the disturbance came from behind it.

"Well what are you waiting for? Let's check it out." Mirage shouted over the racket."

"B—e- on - no- at's- ere."

"What? Can't understand you Beetle!"

Yelling at the top of his lungs, Blue Beetle replied, "I SAID, BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S IN THERE!"

"Come on Bugsy!" Mirage shouted. "Live a little!"

"Yeah '_Bugsy'_, what are ya, scared?" laughed Plastic Man. Not wanting to be shown up, Jaime flung the doors open. Inside was a boxing ring. Katana and Red Tornado stood watching Batman and Wildcat scrimmage (the source of the noise). Green Arrow was shooting at a target, but stopped and turned as the door slammed.

"Hey, look who finally showed up." He said, notching another arrow and turning back towards the target. "Have a nice tour? Manage to learn anything you can use against us?" Mirage rolled her eyes.

"I get the feeling you don't like me very much Green Arrow."

"No, of course not. What gave you that idea?" He let loose an arrow. At the same time Mirage threw a throwing star, which knocked the arrow out of the air and hit the target dead center.

"Oops, it must have slipped." She smirked at a ticked off Green Arrow.

"You have quite a good aim missy." Commented Wildcat as he and Batman jumped out of the ring. "But how are you with your fists? Those fancy knives aren't gonna help much if you meet an experienced boxer like myself or Bats here."

"I find that debatable." She smiled. "Though I wouldn't mind a quick match against one of you two to see."

"The deal was no fighting." Batman stated.

"No, the deal was that I wouldn't double cross you and I won't. But I haven't trained in a while and fighting each other would probably be good for both of us."

"Absolutely not!" shouted a clearly pissed Green Arrow. "Batman you can't seriously be considering this, I mean, she's a criminal! The fact that we even agreed to work together is completely ridiculous. We should have taken her to jail the moment she showed herself on the roof."

"So I was right; you don't like me." She smirked.

"God, you're so infuriating!" He scowled and notched another arrow, turning his back on the group.

"No, stop." Mirage ran over to the archer, hitting his bow down with her hand. "We're supposed to be working together, but obviously you can't handle that."

"Can't handle that? You-"

"Shut up and listen. Fight me. Right here, right now. It'll make you feel better and now I'm dying to see if you're as good as you obviously think you are. No seriously injuring each other, of course, but other than that, anything goes." She did a back flip, landing in the ring.

"So what's it gonna be hot shot? You ready?"

Arrow glared at her, but underneath the hard, defiant stare a grin formed.

"You're on."

_Since it's been so long, what the heck, I'll post Chapter 6 too. And I promise I'll try to finish this faster!_


	6. Chapter 6

Enjoy. :)

**_Bold is Green Arrow's thoughts_**

_The other is Mirage's thoughts_

I don't own Batman. Sadface.

Chapter VI

The thief and the archer stood opposite each other in the ring, their minds racing.

"_**Who does she think she is?"**_

"_God, he's so full of himself."_

"_**She's gonna wish she'd never thought of fighting me."**_

"_He is so gonna lose."_

"_**I'll go easy on her. If I don't this will be over far too quickly..."**_

"_This is far too easy. I know! I'll go a little easy on him. But not too easy on him…"_

Batman and the others stood round the ring, watching intently.

"Both of you are ready?" Batman asked. The two nodded, not taking their eyes off one another. One reached for a bow, the other for a pair of swords.

"Begin!"

An arrow tore through the air. Mirage narrowly dodged and as another flew towards her she gracefully moved to the side and sliced it in half. Avoiding the other arrows that followed, she rushed towards Green Arrow and swung with both swords. He blocked the blades with his bow, and they stood there, neither giving an inch.

"_**Well well well, she's not bad."**_

"_Hmm, he's good."_

They finally broke free and circled each other.

"Why don't we make this a bit more interesting?" Mirage asked.

"How?" asked a cautious Arrow.

"Whoever wins gets to ask the other any one question, and the loser has to answer the question truthfully. The only exception: no questions about secret identities."

"Sounds good to me."

"Excellent. Now let's finish this." She rushed him again. She swung and he quickly ducked, the swords cutting the feather in his hat in half.

"That was uncalled for."Green Arrow complained. Mirage just grinned and rushed him again. He sidestepped her and tripped her up with his bow. He aimed an arrow at her as she tried to get up.

"Looks like I win sweetheart." He smirked, but she quickly swept his feet out from under him.

"You forget that unlike you heroes, I don't play by the rules." Both jumped quickly back up. The two moved as if dancing, the music being the clashing of swords and the twang of a bow string. Finally they stood face to face, her blades at his throat, his arrow aimed at her heart. They stared straight into each other's eyes, both hoping that the other wouldn't see how impressed they were.

"_**Damn. For a low life crook, she's an amazing fighter."**_

" _Hot shot is a hell of an archer, even if he is a bigheaded goody goody."_

"It's a tie!" Batman shouted.

"What?" Both combatants shouted.

"The two of you are getting nowhere. You're too evenly matched. It's enough."

The two begrudgingly lowered their weapons, but neither the green nor the white mask broke the gaze. Meanwhile, the others were going ballistic.

"THAT WAS AWESOME!"

"THE CRAZIEST SHIT I'VE SEEN IN A LONG TIME."

"IT WAS SO COOL!"

As Mirage and Green Arrow finally climbed out of the ring, Wildcat quietly moved over to Batman.

"What did you think of her?" Batman muttered.

"Honestly? I don't think she was giving it her all. " Wildcat whispered to the Dark Knight.

"Arrow wasn't either though."

"Yes, I know. But there's more to this one than meets the eye." Wildcat answered. Before he could reply, Batman was dragged back into the chaos of the other heroes.

"Wow Mirage, you were incredible!" Gawked Blue Beetle.

"Yeah, you would have destroyed Arrow if it had gone on just a little longer!" Flash added. At this, Green Arrow stalked back over to his target, swearing under his breath, but Mirage followed him.

"What do you want? Come over to gloat princess? It was a tie!" He asked angrily as he turned around.

Mirage responded gently. "I know it was, and I accept that. You're quite talented."

The Archer was taken aback. "I- Thanks. You too."

"We had a deal. Whoever won got a question. Technically we both won, so you go first." She sat down on a nearby stool and pulled her hood down. Her auburn hair fell to her shoulders.

"Well?" She asked calmly. The others had quietly crept over, and they chimed in with their own questions.

"What are your hobbies?"

"How can you fight so well?"

"What do you look for in a guy?"

Mirage silenced them with a wave of her hand. Finally, Green Arrow spoke.

"You said any question except for your identity, correct?" The young woman nodded. Green Arrow paused, and then finally asked his question.

"Why did you become Mirage?"

She grinned. She was impressed by what he had asked.

"A good question, but one which has a long answer. Very well, I'll explain, but you may as well get comfortable. This may take a while…"

Ha ha! Yes, you must wait to hear the story! Why? Because it's late, and I need sleep. Next chapter up ASAP!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter VII

(Woo! Back story time!)

"First, I will say that while telling my story, I will not reveal names or places. I'm sure you understand my with to keep my identity a secret. And so, I'll begin, at the best place I can think to start: the beginning."

"I grew up in a small town in Southern Italy, along the coast. I was of a wealthy family, my father, a native born Italian, was a very influential man not only in our town, but throughout the world. He was very well travelled, and had met my mother in Gotham on one of his many trips. For them, it had been love at first sight. She moved with him to Italy, they were married, and soon after came my brother and I. I loved it there. We had everything we could ever want, and we were happy."

"_Where is this going…?"_

"_Shut up Guy, and don't interrupt her!"_

"_Watch it boy wonder, or I'll-"_

"_SHHHH!"_

"As I was saying- My family was doing great. But then, things started going wrong. My Father's business wasn't doing as well as it had been, and my mother started becoming ill. But no one really thought much of it, and we all felt that this was just a phase, but it turns out we were wrong."

"Father's business finally failed, and Mother's health took a turn for the worse. My parents decided that we would have to leave my beloved Italy so that we could find my mother the medical help she needed and better business opportunities for my father. I hated having to go, but we had to, so we packed up as much as we could and moved to America. My brother and I were both thirteen.

"We moved into a small house in the city, and things were relatively quiet for a while, but apparently our troubles weren't over."

"_Why do you say that?"_

"_Yeah? What happened?_

"_Will both of you just shut up and let the woman continue?"_

"Easy boys, there's no rush. The reason I say that, is because just a couple months after moving in, we were robbed of practically everything we had. And because my father had yet to find a job, we were forced onto the streets."

"Trust me when I say it's not an easy life. It's even worse in the winter, and with my mother's health getting even worse, we had to resort to more… desperate means."

"_You became criminals."_

"We did what we had to so we could survive. Don't be so quick to judge. I'd guess many of you haven't had to spend one night on the streets, let alone months. Anyway, yes, my brother and I did start pick pocketing and stealing, but for good reason in my opinion. My Papa joined a gang, because it was the only way he could provide for the family. Eventually he did move up to a higher status in the gang, but in the mean while we had to get money anyway possible."

"My Mama's health finally got so bad that she was taken to the hospital. The bills began to pile up, which made it even harder for my family to survive. If it hadn't been for Papa moving up in his organization, who knows what would have happened? But with the higher salary we were able to find another house and keep Mama in the hospital."

"My brother and I spent a lot of time either at the hospital or at the gang's head quarters. We would often switch off so that my Mama would never have to be alone. While with Papa, however, we learned many things, most of which I doubt you heroes would agree with. One skill we learned was fighting. Believe it or not, there were many very skilled fighters in the organization, and my brother and I never wasted an opportunity to learn new techniques. It seemed life was going back to normal, or at least as normal as it could be."

"_But something happened…?"_

"You really are the world's greatest detective, aren't you? But yes, something did happen."

"Four years had gone by since we first moved to America. My brother was with Mama, and I was hanging out upstairs in Papa's office at the HQ. Suddenly, I heard an explosion downstairs, followed by screams and gunfire. Papa burst into the room, locking the door behind him, and opening a secret doorway behind one of the book cases on the wall. He told me to hide inside, to be silent, and to not come out, no matter what I heard. I protested, but he pushed me inside and shut the door. I couldn't see anything from inside the dark room, but I could hear as the door of Papa's office burst open. Gunfire filled the room, along with an evil, maniacal laughter. Then, there was silence."

"…"

"I must have hid in the room for at least an hour. When I finally mustered up the courage to enter the other room, I found my Papa lying in a pool of blood on the floor. He was riddled with bullet holes, and on his face was a grisly smile. In his hand was a playing card. I doubt I need to tell you which card it was."

"After my Papa's murder, my Mama soon died as well from her illness. My brother and I were alone, and could not afford to keep the house, so we ran away, back to the streets. But we decided we would never again allow this to happen to others."

"We took on new personas; he chose Shadow and I, Mirage. Our first theft was that to gain our weapons. After that, whatever we stole went to families on the streets, so that they would hopefully never have to suffer through what we did."

"I don't see myself as an evil or bad person, I see myself as someone who's had a lot of bad luck and has chosen a path different than most. I will not apologize for who I've become, or what I've done. And I don't expect you all to understand that. What I do wish you would learn from my story, is that just because some might not always choose the 'right path' that does not mean they are bad people. Well, I hope I've answered your questions, and if not, I'm sorry, but that's all I can tell you."


End file.
